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On June 19th, 2018, Ashley Ivey Askew (clinical manager at I-CARE Home Care) was asked to participate in a healthy living workshop at First Baptist Church of Vienna for the SWAP (Seniors With A Purpose) ministry. Ashley provided vegan/vegetarian options for those that wanted to try! It was a hit! Ashley spoke about “trying something new” and healthy food options. The recipe for the Vegan “Crumbles” is below. Enjoy!

Blend until smooth. Pour in more coconut milk if soup is not smooth enough.

When done, pour into pot and place on stove on medium heat for 5-10 mins.

When serving pour soup carefully into bowls, add a dash of thyme on top of soup, drizzle fresh lemon juice on top & serve

Quick Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients :

2 Cups mushrooms

2 Bell Peppers

1 Red Onion

2 Yellow Zuchini

2 Green Zuchini

1 cup of cherry tomatoes

5 small russet potatoes or sweet potatoes

1 bunch of asparagus

1tsp of Olive Oil

Dash of Salt & Pepper

Wash and prepare all ingredients and cut in cubes. Place a foil on a cookie sheet and place in vegetable in a section.

Once all the vegetables are placed on a cookie sheet, then drizzle olive oil and salt a pepper.

Place at 450 for slow cook or broiler for a fast and crispier cook in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

Remove from the oven and mix the vegetable together.

Vegetables can be placed over pasta or quinoa or rice for a desirable healthy and fulfilling meal.

Healthy Juicing

Wash all Vegetables and Fruits thoroughly in your kitchen sink in cool water. Add a half cup of baking soda and a cup of White Vinegar to the water to aid in the cleaning process. Soaking overnight is also a good idea for very dirty vegetables and fruits. A regular size sink full of vegetables and fruits will make approx. 75 fluid ounces of juice. I typical drink about 12- 16 ounces for breakfast.

Push the vegetables and fruits slowly through a Juicer. The Juicer setting should be on slow for the best results. After juicing strain the mixture to remove the foam and any gritty particles. Enjoy.

Recommend Vegetables and Fruits to Juice:

Kale

Cucumber

Celery

Carrots

Apples {you can also substitute pears, watermelon, peaches etc}

Beets

Half a Lemon

Ginger {use very little, maybe the size of a dime, ginger has a very strong taste but it good for your health. You can increase or decrease the amount of ginger to suit your taste}

This will produce a very dark mixture, use more carrots and apples, and remove beets to lighten the mixture and to make it sweeter. You should experiment to find the proper combination of vegetables and fruits that suits your taste.

In layman’s terms diabetic neuropathy is a type of nerve damage.In diabetes, high blood sugars cause damage to nerve fibers, most often in the person’s legs and feet.

What Does This Mean?

Often people with diabetic neuropathy have 2 major issues:

1.Difficulty feeling their feet The nerve damage can cause numbness in certain areas or the whole foot.2. Difficulty healing Often there is also a slow of blood flow (blood brings oxygen and healing agents)

What Can Happen

1. Difficulty feeling feet: If a person with full sensation in their feet steps on a nail, the immediate pain will make a person get off the nail. However if you do not have full feeling in the bottom of your foot, you may not get off of the nail as quickly as needed. Someone who has peripheral neuropathy may suffer injuries in their feet they do not feel. 2. Infection: Decreased blood flow, means that there is also a decreased ability for oxygen and other healing agents to get to wounds quickly. In diabetic neuropathy simple cuts can become sores, and sores can become wounds and wounds can be very hard to heal.

So What To Do?

There are several things patients with diabetes need to be mindful about.

4 Foot Tips for Diabetics

1. Wear shoes, even if it is just slippers around the house. This will protect your feet from injury. Also wear shoes that fit. Shoes that are too small may cause friction and wounds on parts of the foot. 2. Carefully wash and dry your feet! You always want to make sure your feet are dry in the crevices of your toes. Fungal infections can form in small, damp places! 3. Be careful about nail salons basins. Some times proper precautions are not taken to clean the basins and bacteria can be left in the water jets of the basins. With diabetic neuropathy you have to be extremely careful about not getting infections in your feet. 4. If you are cutting your own nails, cut them straight, and do not cut the skin around them. Try to not cut too close too your skin to avoid cuts and bleeding.

Whether it is a parent, friend, or loved one, Alzheimer’s disease has affected many of us.

As the most common type of Dementia, Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by a person’s gradual loss of memory, ability to problem solve, and reason. Once, only associated with the elderly, there has recently been cases of individuals being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s as young as 50. Even though the etiology is unknown at this time, many scientists believe that there are genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to Alzheimer’s onset.

Yes, Alzheimer’s disease is very hard for the individual going through the disease, watching and trying to understand what is happening. However, the individual is not the only person who is suffering during this time. Family, friends and loved ones grasp at ways to maintain hope and stability while caring for the person going through the stages of Alzheimer’s disease. While there are some medications that help slow the effects of the disease, it tends to be a progressive disease where individuals forget how to do simple tasks and develop behavior problems. So, the question is… What to do?

The best starting place for family and friends is to informed! Knowing the stages of Alzheimer’s and being aware of how it may affect their loved one will eliminate some surprises in the process. Being informed allows you to prepare for your loved one’s physical, memory and personality changes.

We have compiled a list of 5 important tips for family and friends of people dealing with Alzheimer’s disease.

1. Your Loved One Should Not Be Alone

When your loved one’s memory starts failing, their safety will be compromised. From forgetting to turn off the stove, to leaving doors unlocked, there are many safety concerns your loved one will face. Often, family and friends bring in the help of a home health care company. Home health allows for the individual to remain in a familiar place, their own home. Utilizing a licensed caregiver will give assistance to bathing, dressing, transportation, and medication reminders so that family and loved ones can enjoy spending quality time with loved ones

2 “Pick Up Rugs”

Rugs, sharp corners, low seated chairs all become an extra obstacle for people suffering with Alzheimer’s. Rugs often become a tripping hazard or a source of distraction on the floor. Sharp corners need to be covered, consider buying chairs with higher seats (easier to get up from), make sure locks are secure, medications are stored away and even consider taking off locks in inside rooms such as bathrooms to prevent them from from locking themselves inside.

3. Involve Your Loved One In Fun Activities

Just because they have Alzheimer’s disease, doesn’t mean they don’t want to have fun. Try to involve your loved one in their favorite activities, whether it is a game of BINGO, going to the park, playing sports or knitting. Engaging in physical activity stimulates the brain and maintains strength.

4. Avoid Saying "Don't You Remember?"

This is one of the hardest things to avoid! Alzheimer’s and other dementias typically have a slow onset, where people forget here are there. Sometimes they can see they are forgetting, and sometimes they can’t. Saying “Don’t you remember” can frustrate the person with dementia and can often upset them, because they know they can’t recall accurately on demand. Instead try using affirmative phrases like “Yes mom, you already brushed your teeth”, “No dad, we have not eaten dinner yet”. Using simple phrases, in a calm voice can make a world of difference in communicating with your loved one where people have sporadic memory loss.

Join A Support Group

One of the best things about a support group, is realizing that you are not alone! There are many people going through this same situation and would love to have your input, experience and share what you are going through. You can gain much encouragement and knowledge when you attend one of these meetings. You will leave with confidence, that you will make it through this touch time, because you have seen other people make it through.